The present invention relates to a photographic printing method and an apparatus therefor and more particularly to a printing method of making a print of a composite image and an apparatus for performing the composite image printing method.
Composite image prints, such as index prints having reduced size images from frames of a roll of negative film, have been used for demonstrating the contents of the negative film. One such index print is disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 61-122,639. For making such an index print, a roll of negative film is divided into a plurality of film strips. The film strips are placed in a negative carrier in the order in which the film strips are arranged in a negative holder. The film strips are pressed down by a framing mask and illuminated from the back so that they are projected onto a photographic paper with reduction by a printing lens.
It has been necessary to use an extra printer for making such index prints in addition to using a printer for making enlarged prints of respective frames of a negative film. Having to use two printers has made it quite troublesome and time consuming to make enlarged prints and index prints.
Otherwise, in order to make such index prints, a photographic printer incorporating a CRT display such as disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 58-122,529 may be used. The photographic printer has a mirror disposed between a light source and a film carrier. The mirror, which is inserted into and removed from the printing path of a printing lens, projects a video image displayed on a CRT onto the photographic paper when the mirror is in the printing path. When the mirror is removed from the printing path, an image on a frame of a negative or a reversal film placed in the film carrier is projected onto the photographic paper. Since this photographic printer is originally provided to selectively make prints of images on a film and a video image on the CRT, it is necessary to receive video signals of images on frames of the film by means of an extra light source and image reading means before printing. Recording video signals is disadvantageous in regard to the required printing work and the resulting printing cost.